Gazpromneft Sakhalin, asubsidiary ofGazprom Neft and project operator for the exploration and development ofDolginskoye field located onthe arctic shelf ofthe Pechora Sea, has begun preparing for the drilling ofanexploration well in2014. Tothis end, the company chartered the GSP Saturn jackup drilling rig owned bythe Romanian company Grup Servicii Petroliere S.A. (GSP), inlate 2013.

There are plans todrill the well, test promising horizons, and take core samples for laboratory study atDolginskoye field during the ice-free months of2014. The sea depth isapproximately 40meters atthe point ofdrilling, while the design depth ofthe well is3,500meters, and the minimum distance from the site ofdrilling operations tothe shore is75kilometers.

The GSP Saturn jackup drilling rig was completely renovated in2009, which included the installation ofmodern drilling and ship equipment, aswell asspecial preparation for operations innorthern latitudes under substantial wind and wave loads and with negative external temperatures. Since 2009, the GSP Saturn jackup drilling rig has had apermit from the Netherlands and Denmark for the conduct ofdrilling operations onthe shelf ofthe North Sea, which testifies tothe platform meeting current international standards ofoccupational and environmental safety. In2013, the platform performed drilling operations inthe North Sea aspart ofone ofthe Wintershall projects.

Relying onthe best world practices, Gazpromneft Sakhalin, inaddition tothe studies ithas already completed, has also conducted anumber ofspecialized technical audits ofthe drilling rig both byinternal auditors and also bythe independent auditing company Lloyd’s Register Drilling Integrity Services (International) B.V., the world leader inthe conduct ofindependent technical inspections ofoffshore drilling rigs. After studying the level ofthe platform’s compliance with the requirements and rules for safe conduct ofdrilling operations inthe Pechora Sea, the audit company confirmed that GSP Saturn isahigh-technology rig, and its specifications are sufficient for operation onRussia’s arctic shelf during the ice-free months ofthe year.

Atpresent, the GSP Saturn isundergoing aregular planned certification bythe American Bureau ofShipping (ABS), aclassification society. That organization provides technical supervision over the building, repair, and operation ofsea vessels, and italso classifies them and inspects them toestablish their compliance with safe navigation standards.

Gazpromneft Sakhalin LLCis asubsidiary ofGazprom Neft and has experience inimplementing projects onthe Russian continental shelf. Inautumn 2012, JSC Gazprom and Gazpromneft Sakhalin executed acontract for geological exploration work and the industrial development and operation ofDolginskoye oil field onthe shelf ofthe Pechora Sea.

Dolginskoye oil field, located inthe central part ofthe Pechora Sea, 120 kilometers south ofthe Novaya Zemlya archipelago and 110 kilometers north ofthe shore ofthe Eurasian continent, was discovered in1999. The depth ofthe sea inthe area ofthe field ranges 35-55 meters. Atotal ofover 11,000 linear kilometers of2-D seismic surveys have been conducted atthe field, aswell as1600 square kilometers of3-D seismic surveys. The drilling ofthree exploratory wells has been completed, including two Severo-Dolginskaya wells inthe northern part ofthe field and one Yuzhno-Dolginskaya well inthe southern part ofthe field. Atpresent, the field’s recoverable reserves are estimated atover 200 million tons ofoil equivalent.

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